Rachel McAdams (born 17.11.1978) Rachel McAdams is a Canadian actress whose film appearances include 'The Notebook', 'The Vow', 'Mean Girls' and 'Midnight in Paris'.

Childhood: Rachel McAdams was born in London, Ontario and grew up in St Thomas. Her parents are nurse Sandra and former truck driver Lance. She attended Myrtle Street Public School and later Central Elgin Collegiate Institute where she played sports and was in the student council, Crimestoppers program and Peer Helping Team.

She enrolled at York University on their theatre program and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts honours degree. She began figure skating when she was 4 and competed in competitions until she was 18. She became interested in acting at 7 and went to Disney and Shakespeare summer camps. At 12, she was in the Original Kids Theatre Company and she later directed children's theatre. She had a summer job at McDonalds for three years.

Acting career: Rachel McAdams first TV appearance was on an MTV pilot called 'Shotgun Love Dolls' in 2001. She made her feature film debut in the same year in 'My Name is Tanino'. In 2002, she had a starring role in the Hollywood flick 'The Hot Chick' in which she plays a popular high school cheerleader who accidently swaps bodies with a criminal.

Her breakthrough role came with 'Mean Girls' in 2004 where she played queen bee Regina George. The film grossed $129 million worldwide and landed her with two MTV Awards. 2004 also saw her appear in the tear-jerker romance 'The Notebook' alongside Ryan Gosling. The pair initially did not get on during filming, but later began dating. In 2005, she starred in 'Wedding Crashers' which grossed over $285 million worldwide as well as thriller 'Red Eye' and 'The Family Stone'.

In 2006, she was asked to appear on the cover of Vanity Fair with Keira Knightley and Scarlett Johansson but refused to take part in the photoshoot on discovering it was to be a nude shoot. Keira later spoke of her respect for Rachel making that decision. Rachel took a break from acting between 2006 and 2007 even turning down offers for roles in hit films such as 'The Devil Wears Prada', 'Casino Royale', 'Mission: Impossible III' and 'Get Smart'. In 2008, she appeared in the film noir 'Married Life' alongside Pierce Brosnan and Chris Cooper, and 'The Lucky Ones' which grossed the least out of all her films. In 2009, she played a reporter in 'State of Play', starred in science-fiction romance 'The Time Traveller's Wife' and appeared in 'Sherlock Holmes' alongside Robert Downey Jr., a film which earned $524 million at the box office. In 2010 she played a television producer in 'Morning Glory' and 2011 saw her appear in Woody Allen's 'Midnight in Paris' for which Allen won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

She also starred in the Holmes sequel 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows'. In 2012 she starred with Channing Tatum in 'The Vow' and will soon appear in the romance 'To the Wonder' as well as 'A Most Wanted Man' and 'About Time'.

Personal life: Rachel McAdams currently lives in Harbord Village in Toronto in a house with her brother as well as holding a U.S. green card. She practises Kundalini yoga and enjoys cooking and gardening. She was in a relationship for two years with her 'Notebook' co-star Ryan Gosling from 2005. In 2009, she dated actor Josh Lucas and was until 2013 dating Michael Sheen who was her 'Midnight in Paris' co-star.

Reports have emerged that Rachel McAdams and her partner James Linden have recently welcomed their first child into the world. No details have been confirmed, but the news doesn't come as too much of a surprise given that she has been virtually totally absent from the public eye over the last year.

Image caption Rachel McAdams at the premiere of 'Doctor Strange'

The 39-year-old has kept her pregnancy a secret, as she does with the majority of her personal life, but now it seems she can't keep her newborn baby son under wraps.

For millenials especially, it's difficult not to go a day without seeing a quote or reference to the 2004 cult film 'Mean Girls' on social media, but for star Rachel McAdams who played Queen Bee Regina George, it's something she will probably never be able to escape from.

Image caption Rachel McAdams at the 'Doctor Strange' launch

The 30-year-old starred opposite Lindsay Lohan in the Tina Fey-written teen comedy as the biggest Mean Girl of North Shore High School. It was her big break, and she's since become an icon for school 'plastics'. Rachel credits the movie with keeping her relevent.

What kind of idea do you cook up for a social game night when you're filthy rich? Whatever it is, it's got to be something unique, exciting and it's gotta last the evening. At least that's something that Brooks (Kyle Chandler) gets right in 'Game Night'.

Brooks is hosting a special kind of evening at his luxurious mansion for his six friends - including his brother Max (Jason Bateman), Max's wife Annie (Rachel McAdams), their pal Ryan (Billy Magnussen), Ryan's love interest Sarah (Sharon Horgan) and another couple (played by Lamorne Morris and Kylie Bunbury). It's a kind of murder mystery event whereby one of them gets 'kidnapped' and the others have to set out to find the hostage.

The person who finds the hostage wins the grand prize. Sounds simple enough, and no doubt exceptionally fun. However, there's nothing whimsical about this game. Brooks has set the whole thing up to look very real, aiming to fool his guests into believing anything. He puts so much emphasis on this point of the game, though, that when a group of actual robbers break into the house and drag him away, his friends think it's all just part of the act.

As Guardians of the Galaxy did two years ago, this action romp comes at the Marvel universe from a witty angle that makes it a lot more fun than the overcrowded Avengers movies. This film has a strong central character, a boisterous sense of humour and a relatively simple plot that never gets bogged down in explaining its mythology. Most of all, it's hugely entertaining, with a great cast and head-spinning kaleidoscopic effects.

Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a top New York neurosurgeon. Arrogant and dismissive, he maintains a friendship with his ex, fellow surgeon Christine (Rachel McAdams). But a car crash puts an end to his rock-n-roll lifestyle when his hands are seriously injured. After medicine fails to heal him, he turns to eastern mysticism, travelling to Kathmandu to study under the tutelage of the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton). She opens his mind to the magical power around him, and as he develops his powers with the serious, more experienced Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Stephen is pulled into an epic clash with the rebel sorcerer Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen), who wants to heal humanity by sending it into a dark, timeless parallel universe.

Despite the gloomy plot, Scott Derrickson directs the film with a very light touch, bringing out cheeky humour in every scene as these whip-smart characters interact with each other. Cumberbatch has probably never had a role that so fully draws on his real-life charisma and wit, and he shines as the swaggering, cocky doctor who has to rebuild his life in unexpected directions. For much of the film he's way out of his depth, which means that the supporting cast get a chance to steal scenes from him.

Ruth McAdams - 'Doctor Strange' film Launch held at The Cloisters at Westminster Abbey at Westminster Abbey - London, United Kingdom - Monday 24th October 2016

Rachel McAdams seen at the 'Doctor Strange' launch event. Rachel plays the role of Christine Palmer in the film. The event was held at The Cloisters, Westminster Abbey, London, United Kingdom - Monday 24th October 2016

Before Doctor Strange was ever brought into existence, the man behind the hero was a dedicated neurosurgeon - one of the best of his time who dedicated his life to furthering his profession. When Stephen Strange is in an almost fatal automobile accident, he luckily escapes with his life but his hands are severely damaged and he goes through multiple surgeries in a bid to fix them.

Strange knows that his entire life will be completely altered if he can't fix them; it would most certainly be the end of his career, the one thing he's committed the majority of his time to. Many doctors try to fix his hands but they're unable to give the results Strange requires. In a last bid to find a cure for his hands - or at least find some solace - Steven travels to Napal.

Little did he know it but Steven Strange's life is about to make a drastic change. On a journey of self-discovery he finds himself researching and eventually coming in contact with a group called Kamar-Taj who hold ancient beliefs and have been known to heal people. As Strange is gradually taken in by the group, he finally meets The Ancient One who sees a great strength in Strange. She mentors the Doctor in the mystic arts and shows him his current reality isn't the only one in existence and teaches him how to manipulate it in order to gain great power and protect the world from others who only wish to destroy it.

Rachel McAdams has joined the cast of Doctor Strange. The 36-year-old Canadian born actor, best known for her roles in The Notebook and True Detective, confirmed her casting whilst appearing at the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday (14th September).

Michael Rezendes is a dedicted reporter for the Boston Globe and part of their Spotlight Team; an investigative division focused on justice and whistle-blowing. When accusations of child sex abuse by members of the Catholic Church arise, he leads the team into their latest case, determined to uncover the truth about a morally questionable priest and his scandalous activities across six different parishes over the course of several decades. It is alleged that the church knew what was going on, but chose not to act and hold their reputation above the welfare of their children. Not only that, but past statements from attorneys don't appear to add up and a delicate battle ensues with the government and police all getting involved as the Boston Globe take on the church. There's a large team at the newspaper working on bringing this case into the open once and for all, and they refuse to let these atrocities be swept under the rug another time.

Slick direction and meaty performances may be enough for some viewers, but this boxing drama's complete lack of originality keeps it from being something memorable. Centring on a committed performance from Jake Gyllenhaal, it's always watchable, but it's rather annoying that every time an interesting theme is raised the script sidesteps into yet another boxing-movie cliche.

Gyllenhaal plays Billy Hope, an orphan raised in the system who rose to become the world light heavyweight champion. He has savvy wife Maureen (Rachel McAdams) at his side, smart young daughter Leila (Oona Laurence) cheering him on and the fiercest manager (Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson) in the business. But personal failures, unexpected tragedies and financial crises suddenly bring an end to his millionaire lifestyle, leaving him alone and wandering the New York streets in search of a place to live. He seeks help from grizzled gym owner Tick (Forest Whitaker), who helps Billy rebuild himself so he can take on his nemesis (Miguel Gomez).

Billy is such a hot-head that he's not easy to like, continually blowing his top to make everything much worse for himself and his family. Gyllenhaal is an astonishing mass of muscles, scars and tattoos, with a burning inner rage that's startlingly believable. He also works hard to earn the audience's sympathies, despite the blunt superficiality of Kurt Sutter's script. Whitaker's role is even less nuanced; he's little more than the formulaic gruff trainer who's always played by an ageing Oscar winner. McAdams injects some snappy energy in her too-brief role, and it's actually Laurence who emerges as the film's most resonant character, effortlessly stealing her scenes right out from under Gyllenhaal's smashed-in nose.

Sometimes a major factor in the watchability of a TV show is the soundtrack, and for crime drama 'True Detective', they've pretty much nailed that all important element and you can hear it in all its glory this summer.

'True Detective: Music From The HBO Series' is the highly anticipated soundtrack compilation featuring music from both season 1 and season 2 of the Emmy winning show. The second season has just begun its broadcast, with another eight episodes for fans to sink their teeth into, so what better way to treat yourself after another thrilling season than an album of pure musical enjoyment?